Sunday, September 28, 2008, was THE PULPIT INITIATIVE, a church-based political protest against an IRS rule that prohibits tax-exempt groups like churches from engaging in partisan politics.
See, the churches want to get into the business of endorsing political candidates (since that is where the real action is, God & religion being just a big hoax, after all) but they don't want to pay the price of admission: giving up their tax-exempt status.
Meanwhile, Congress is still working on a BAILOUT PLAN to try to salvage the American economy from that other group of fat, greedy bastards, the Wall Street honchos who successfully lobbied for deregulation of the banking and finance sectors and who then successfully ran those sectors into the ground.
I sense a confluence of themes here.
Conservative Alliance Defense Fund challenges IRS on Church Campaigning
The Pulpit Initiative
Reclaiming pastors’ constitutional right to speak Truth from the pulpit.
Historically, churches have emphatically, and with great passion, spoken Scriptural truth from the pulpit about government and culture.
Let's stop right here: "Churches have spoken Scriptural truth...about government and culture?" They have regurgitated scripture, yes, but arrogating the label of "Truth" to what churches spew forth from the Bible is stretching the...well, the truth of the matter.
Historians have stated that America owes its independence in great degree to the moral force of the pulpit. Pastors have proclaimed Scriptural truth throughout history on great moral issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor and prostitution.
This is undoubtedly true: I'm sure we can find historians who have made such statements. The only problem is that churches have been on both sides of these issues. Maybe not prostitution, but slavery and child labor have been defended from the pulpit, and arguments against women's suffrage were preached from the vantage of "Scriptural truth."
On the "great moral issue" of American independence, I strongly suspect colonial-era churches were somewhat divided, as were the colonists in general.
Pastors have also spoken from the pulpit with great frequency for and against various candidates for government office.
All that changed in 1954 with the passage of the "Johnson amendment" which restricted the right of churches and pastors to speak Scriptural truth about candidates for office. The Johnson amendment was proposed by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson, and it changed the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit churches and other non-profit organizations from supporting or opposing a candidate for office. After the Johnson amendment passed, churches faced a choice of either continuing their tradition of speaking out or silencing themselves in order to retain their church’s tax exemption.
I admit I didn't know about the Johnson amendment. Apparently, LBJ proposed this amendment because he had been the target of some church-based electioneering and didn't much like it.
The Internal Revenue Service, in conjunction with radical organizations like Americans United for Separation of Church and State, have used the Johnson amendment to create an atmosphere of intimidation and fear for any church that dares to speak Scriptural truth about candidates for office or issues.
Wait, wait, wait. The "atmosphere of intimidation and fear" is simply the potential loss of tax-exempt status? Seems like the ADF wants churches to keep their tax-payer subsidized exemptions and engage in partisan politics at the same time. Not discussed is whether the ADF would support lifting the electioneering ban on other tax-exempt groups. My guess is, probably not, since only Christian churches possess "Scriptural Truth."
It is time for the intimidation and threats to end. Churches and pastors have a constitutional right to speak freely and truthfully from the pulpit – even on candidates and voting – without fearing loss of their tax exemption.
Let me rephrase that: Churches and pastors have a constitutional right to attempt to intimidate their listeners --- with threats of eternal hellfire and damnation, no doubt --- into voting a certain way based on the church's interpretation of a book of myths and fairy tales –-- without having to pay their fair share of taxes.
In short: Churches deserve all the benefits of democracy with none of the responsibilities.
Hard to imagine a more selfish position, isn't it? But that is what conservatism has become under the rule of the GOP: an excuse for absolute selfishness, Party First, Country Last.
UPDATE: The Pharyngula blog has the Pulpit Initiative story with some choice comments up today. Here's a good one by RAVEN:
I'm always skeptical of pastors who claim that god wants his worshippers to send him your money, your teen age daughters, and vote for right wing kooks.
UPDATE: Sometimes even front page diaries deserve rescuing. Check out Creationists Lay the Dover Trap On Unwary North Carolinians by DarkSyde for another reason why religion should stick to telling their fairy tales in church, not in political campaigns or school rooms.
The Daily Show on the Financial Bailout Plan:
FOOL US TWICE, SHAME ON US?
Analysis of the Wall Street Financial Crisis is a little bit above my pay-grade, and many others have diaried about it in the last week, so I'll spare my readers a detailed rehash of that issue.
But I have to agree with those who say that trying to rescue the economy by giving $700 billion, with no strings attached, to the same folks who got us into this mess does not really pass the laugh test.
In fact, it would be the ultimate act of faith to believe these jokers now.
ATHEIST RESOURCES ONLINE
Here are a few useful links:
American Atheists
American Humanist Association
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Freedom from Religion Foundation
Full disclosure: I am a member of the above organizations.
Now let's start a list of some great atheist blogs (and blogs by atheists):
Pharyngula
Richard Dawkins
Sam Harris
Anyone else have a favorite blog to nominate for this list?
Apparently, yes!
Center for Inquiry
The Panda's Thumb
Links to PREVIOUS EDITIONS of YOUR SUNDAY ATHEIST:
Please check out earlier editions of the series:
#7: Relax
We comment on some CRAZINESS in the news related to Sarah Palin and Tony Alamo, and reply to some comments from readers of YSA #6.
#6: Political Porn Edition
In which we learn a plurality of kossacks have a low tolerance for a certain Indian-born medical quack, even when said quack supports Obama.
#5: Dalton Trumbo Edition
Looks at the new documentary on writer Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood blacklist.
#4: Child Abuse Edition
Discusses three award-winning documentaries exposing the abuse of children at the hands of preachers, evangelists, and Catholic priests.
#3: Barna Evangelicals
Explodes the myth of Monolithic Evangelicalism in the USA (sort of).
#2: Contraception & Abortion Edition
Discusses the Bush Administration's recent attempts to blur the distinction between contraception and abortion.
#1: Anti-Puritan Rebellion Edition
Discusses the John Edwards kerfluffle and the effect America's obsession with illicit sex has had upon society.
As always, here is your Video Reward for making it all the way to the end.
This week, we have a TRIPLE-feature: dueling videos all about MONEY!
from MR SHOW: THE JOSH FENDERMAN STORY
From MONTY PYTHON: The MONEY PROGRAMME
from CABARET: The MONEY SONG